Cherry & Dennis Helper Habitat
Filipino Atchara Green Papaya Pickle
菲律賓青木瓜醃菜 Atchara
Recipe overview
Unripe green papaya, carrot and pepper in sweet-sour vinegar make a Filipino refrigerator pickle served with grilled food.
01
Ingredients
Main ingredients
- 500 g unripe green papaya flesh
- 100 g carrot
- 80 g red bell pepper
- 60 g onion
- 15 g ginger
- 300 ml food vinegar, 5% acidity
- 150 ml water
Sweet-sour brine and salting
- 130 g sugar
- 1 tbsp salt for papaya
- 1/2 tsp black peppercorns
- 1/2 tsp salt for brine
02
Tools
- peeler
- box grater
- knife and board
- large bowl
- colander
- clean cloth
- nonreactive saucepan
- heatproof jug
- two about 500 ml glass jars
03
Steps
Step 1
Choose green papaya
Use about 500 g prepared unripe green papaya with green skin and firm pale flesh; do not use orange ripe papaya.
Step 2
Peel and seed
Wash papaya under running drinking water before peeling and seeding, then weigh 500 g firm flesh using clean utensils.
Step 3
Grate into shreds
Grate green papaya into fine long shreds in a large bowl.
Step 4
Salt shreds
Sprinkle with 1 tbsp salt and toss the papaya shreds.
Step 5
Rest and drain
Rest about 30 minutes to draw out moisture, then drain in a colander.
Step 6
Squeeze papaya
Squeeze papaya in a clean cloth; if too salty, rinse quickly with drinking water and squeeze again.
Step 7
Shred carrot
Wash and peel carrot and cut 100 g into fine matchsticks.
Step 8
Slice remaining vegetables
Wash pepper and ginger and peel onion; thinly slice 80 g pepper, 60 g onion and 15 g ginger.
Step 9
Simmer brine
In a nonreactive pan, bring 300 ml food vinegar with 5% acidity, 150 ml water, 130 g sugar, 1/2 tsp salt and 1/2 tsp peppercorns to a gentle simmer about 3 minutes until sugar dissolves.
Step 10
Cool brine
Pour brine into a heatproof jug and cool about 20 minutes; do not pour boiling brine into ordinary glass jars.
Step 11
Pack vegetables
Mix papaya, carrot, pepper, onion and ginger; pack into two clean glass jars of about 500 ml each.
Step 12
Cover and refrigerate
Pour cooled brine to submerge all vegetables. Seal and refrigerate at 4°C or below at least 12 hours before eating; this is a refrigerated pickle, not for room-temperature storage.
Common mistakes
- Orange ripe papaya turns soft; poor squeezing dilutes brine; hot brine can crack ordinary glass jars.
Tips
Use firm unripe green papaya; keep vegetables fully submerged in brine and refrigerate at 4°C or below. This is not a shelf-stable canning recipe.
